Aspects of design for binary key models

Abstract

SUMMARY The idea of keys is explained for data where each unit has a binary response and the units are labelled by a set of k binary properties. The model is especially realistic for certain biological applications and is relevant to the medical diagnosis problem of predicting the presence or absence of a disease by means of a vector of binary symptoms. The results of the paper in particular concern the choice of units to maximize design utility. For the very simplest key model, optimum designs are given which closely resemble certain error correcting codes.